Construction of ferroconcrete piles in situ



A. e; ROTINOFF.

CONSTRUCTION OF FERROCONCRETE PILES IN SITU.

APPLICATION FILED HOV-13, 1919.

Patented July 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. G. ROTINOFF.

CONSTRUCTION OF FERROCONCRETE FILES IN SITU.

APPLKCATION FILED NOV. 13. 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- Patented July 27, 1920.

a j] f UNITED STATES- .PATENT OFFICE.-

ALEXANDER GEORGIEVITCH ROTINOFF, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

CONSTRUCTION OF TERROCONCRETE PIL'ES IN SITU.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented July 27, 1920.

Application filed November 13, 1919. Serial No. 337,877.

of ferro-concrete piles and the like in Sam 1 and comprises a method -of filling up and ramming the concrete in the holes, and 1mproved apparatus therefor. p Although the invention will be descrlbed as applied to the manufacture of plles, it will be understood that a concrete column could in a similar manner be built up in a form or mold, and where reference is made herein to piles, it is to be understood to include also columns or the like. 1

Practice has shown that many accidents that have occurred to piling of the above described type, have been due (to the bad -execution of the work, "the concrete being irregularly rammed and cavities having actually been left in important parts of the ile. P Such difficulties are attributable :not only to the unsatisfactory ramming as aforesaid but also, when a tube or mold is employed,

which is subsequently withdrawn, to the detrimental action of the withdrawal of the tube or mold during the issue of the concrete therefrom into the hole.

The existing methods of ramming'and the lifting of the concrete with the tube during withdrawal of the latterare unsatisfactory. They are unreliable and make the work hazardous and uncertain. They do not give any possibilitylof verifying the quality of the work done at the bottom of the tube, or of insuring the uniform compactness of the concrete.

The object of this invention is to give absolute security that the concrete shall be uniformly rammed or pressed from the bot tom to the top of the pile. a

An important feature of the present invention is that the withdrawing of the tube and its appurtenances is automatically effected by reason of a reaction set up against the concrete itself when but not until it is sufiiciently compacted, thus converting what has heretofore been the detrimental action, of removing the tube into an [action indiyshaped helical cating that the concrete has been rammed to the desired degree. a

A further; feature of the invention is that uniform density of the concrete in the pile is insured by sending the concrete down in uninterrupted flow in a layer of screwform having the same thickness (and this .is a limited thickness) from the bottom to the top of the pile.

The invention comprises broadly a method of making a concrete pile or column which consists in depositing the concrete in a screw-shaped spiral layer, preferably a continuous layer, and compacting the deposited concrete, as for example by a steady'pres sure or by tamping.

One form of apparatus for carrying out the present invention comprises a loaded feed-worm for the concrete whose diameter is approximately equal to thatof the borehole or form, and means to rotate. it so that it gradually forces itself out of the borehole or cavity by its-reaction with the surface of the concrete as the latter becomes compacted bythe worm.

Thus the apparatus comprises feedingmeans to, deposit a screw shaped spiral layer ofconcrete commencing at the lower end of the borehole or form, and means to compact the concrete as itis laid.

Preferably there is provided a reservoirtube containing the feed-worm and operatively connected with it, with or without a lost-motion device in connection with the said tube and worm, and with or'without a hammering device operative to transmit blows through the feed-worm to the laid concrete to compact it. v

The foregoing and-other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of one preferred form of the invention read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which r Figure 1 illustrates, mainly diagrammatically, the apparatus at the commencement of the filling operation, the lower part .of the figure being partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a section on the 1 with thebore-hole casing and reinforcing frame not shown, and y i Likeletters indicate like partsthroughout the drawings.

line 24 ofFig.

worm-wheel 12 at the top of the tube. The

worm-wheel'12 is feathered on to the spindie 11 so that the latter may move vertically in relation to the worm-wheel but both will rotate together. v

The worm-wheel 12 meshes with a worm 13 carried in brackets 2 which are slidingly V engaged'with an upright ofthe supporting frame. At or near its upper end. the

spindle is supported in a bearing 16 and'at its lower end in a bearing 17 both secured to the reservoir-tube 1. Shoulders 18 and 19 respectively formed on the spindle limit the extent of the downward or upward motion of the latter relatively to the reservoir-tube 1. That isto say, these shoulders limit the degree of lost-motion permissible between these two parts. The worm 13 is driven byan engine 3 carried on the reservo1rtube 1.

The latter is formed with a lip 4: to facilitate charging of the concrete into the reservoirtube. a 7

There is a hammering device at the top of the tube which consists of a non-rotating monkey 5 capable" of sliding up and down and preferably guided in this sliding movement by means of bolts 6 whose inner ends are received in slots provided for their reception in the monkey 5. The bolts 6 are carried in a frame 7 which is secured to the reservoir-tube 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and which has at its upper end an eye-bolt 8 by which the reservoir-tube and its parts may be conveniently raised or lowered. The frame 7 also has brackets 9 providing bearing-surfaces for the worm-wheel 12.

At the upper end of the spindle 11 is secured a ratchet-toothed member 14 adapted to engage a correspondingly-toothed ratchetmember 15 secured in the lower end of the monkey 5. As the worm-wheel 12 and the spindle 11 are rotatechthe ratchet-member 14 will be rotated with the spindle and as the monkey is restrained from rotation, the teeth or cam-surfaces of the member 14' cooperating with those of the member 15 will raise the monkey until the high part of the tooth of member 14 passes the corresponding portion of the tooth on the member 15, when the monkey will drop suddenly. Thus, an intermittent hammering operation is pro- "duced, repeated at frequent intervals in accordance with the speed of rotation of the spindle 11. 7

In Fig. 1 a bore-hole casing (or formingtube as it is called) is shown at 30 connected withthe chains 31 by which it may be lowered into the bore-hole and by which it may be removed therefrom. Within the casing 30 is a reinforcing framework40 and-within into the bore-hole as the latter was driven, 4 may either be withdrawnbefore, or may remain in place during, the insertion of'the reservoir-tube 1. In either case the reser- 'of the ramming mechanism.

this framework the reservoir-tube 1 is situated, In Fig. 2, however, the casing 30 and the framework 10 are notshown although it will be understood that both may be present. Q

Fig. 3 diagrammatically illustrates the meansby which the reservoir-tube 1 and its associated parts are carried. A traveling tower, indicated generally by the reference numeral 21, is arranged to travel on rails so that it may be moved fromplace to place and 011 the platform at the base of the tower is supported a boiler 23 and a Winding-engine 2e bymeans of which the reservoirtube and its. parts are raised and lowered. The vertical member of the tower 2111s formed with ribs 20 previously referred to in connection with Fig. 2,, which engage -within' grooves in the bracket 2 to'afi'ord the which would have been gradually advanced voir-tube 1, and the reinforcing framework 410 placedoutside it, are loweredintothe hole, preferably after the reservoir tube has. been filled'w'ith concrete. If the casing 30 remains in position when the reservoir tube is inserte'd,{it may be withdrawn gradually as the workproceeds by meansindependent The engine 3 isthen set in motion and operates to rotate the spindle 11.. Once in motion the screw-shaped rar'nIlO, begins to rotate in the unscrewing direction, sending the concrete down out of the tubein an uninterrupted spi-raljlayer; meantime the repeated blows of the monkey 5 give vertical 1 vibrations to the ram, compressing the concrete. The ever-increasing compactness of the concrete under the ram'reacts on the latter and causes it to'lift the tube gradually out of the hole. I 7 Preferably additional screws or propellers 100 are provided on the spindle 11 to aid in feeding the concrete down through the res ervoir-tube 1. l 1 Instead of using the helical ram central in the tube, the latter may itself form a ram fitted with internal helical guidevanes for the concrete. This may be hammered by a suitable hammering device'so that the con crete issues ina spiral which, when compacted, reacts on and'raisesthe tube; or al- 'ternatively,1 instead of hammering, the tube could be sufficiently weighted sothat the helical guide-vane constitutes the loaded feed-worm hereinbefore referred to which, by the steady pressure of its own weight, is sufficient to compact-the concrete.

' It will be understood that the bore-holes can be filled without the use of the reinforcin g framework such as 40, and obviously the bore-hole in the earth as illustrated, could be replaced by a moldon the surface.

The lost-motion which is permitted between the spindle 11 and the .wormwheel 12 enables the spindle to move axially in rela= tion to the tube but when the spindle rises through more than the extent of the lostmotion it will take the tube up with it.

One particular form of apparatus for carrying the invention into effect has been described in detail but it will be obvious that the invention is not limited to the particular construction of the parts as illustrated, as these may be varied as may be found convenient provided that the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the claims, is not departed from.

A portion of the weight of the reservoirtube 1 and its contents can if desired, be counterbalanced by any convenient means, say for example by a wire 2 led from the brackets 2 up over a pulley 2 on the tower 21 and thence down to counterweights 2.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method of making concrete piles or columns which comprises feeding concrete in a screw-shaped spiral layer into the opening to be filled, and compacting the concrete during such deposition by a hammering action.

2. Themethod of making concrete piles or columns which comprises feeding concrete in a continuous screw-shaped spiral layer into the opening to be filled and com pacting the concrete during such deposition by a hammering action.

3. An apparatus for making a concrete pile or column in a bore-hole or form, comprising mcans to deposit concrete in a screwshaped suiral layer within the opening to be filled, a hammering means to compact the concrete during such deposition, and means to cause the depositing and hammering devices to rise by reaction of the hammering device from the concrete as the latter be comes compacted.

4. An apparatus for making concrete pile or column in a borehole or form, compris ing a hammering feed-worm for the concrete whose diameter is approximately equal to that of the borehole or form, and means to rotate the said feed-worm so that it gradually forces itself out of the borehole'by its reaction with the surface of he concrete the latter becomes compacted thereby, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus for making a concrete pile or column, comprising a reservoir-tube, a feed-worm therein and operatively connected thereto, means to rotate the feedwori i so that it gradually forces itself and said tube away from the base of the pile or pacted, and means for transmitting blows through the feed-worm to the laid concrete to compact it. 7

7. Apparatus for making a concrete pile or column, comprising a reservoir-tube, a hammering feed-worm therein having a lostanotion connection therewith, and means for rotating the feed-screw so that it gradually forces itself and said tube away from the base of the pile or column by its reaction with the surface of the concrete as the latter becomes compacted.

8. An apparatus comprising the combination of parts set forth in claim 5, wherein the hammering device consists of a non-rotating monkey which can slide up and down at the upper end of the tube, combined with means fixed on the rotating spindle of the feed-screw and cooperating with means fixed on the non-rotating monkey so that rotation of the spindle raises the monkey and drops itsuddenly on the spindle to produce the downward hammer ing action thereof. v

9. An apparatus.comprising the combination of parts set forth in claim 6 wherein the hammering device consists ofa non-rotating monkeyv which can slide up and down hammering device for the feed-screw consists of. a non-rotating monkey which can slide up and down at the upper end of the tube combined with a ratchet-toothed cam fixed on the rotating spindle of the feedworm and a cooperating cam fixed on the non-rotating monkey so that rotation of the spindle raises the monkey and drops it suddenly onto the spindle to produce the clownward hammering action thereon.

11. An apparatus for making concrete 7 piles or columns comprising the combination of parts set forth in claim 6 wherein a hammering device for the feed-screw oonsists of a non-rotating monkey which can slide up and down at the upper end of the tube combined With a ratchet-toothed cam 5 fixed on the rotating spindle of the feedworm and a cooperating cam fixed onfthe I nOn rotating monkey so that rotation of the spindle raises the monkey and drops it suddenly onto the spindle to produce the doWn- 10 ard hammering action thereon.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALEXANDER GEORGIEVITCH ROTINOFF. 

